Lucca

From MaxTravelz

Lucca is a city of some 90,000 people in Tuscany, Italy.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By car 2.4 By bus 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Learn 7 Work 8 Buy 9 Eat 9.1 Budget 9.2 Mid-range 9.3 Splurge 10 Drink 11 Sleep 11.1 Budget 11.2 Mid-range 11.3 Splurge 12 Contact 13 Stay safe 14 Cope 15 Get out

Understand

Lucca's long history goes back to Etruscan and Ancient Roman times, and the city retains pieces of Ancient architecture. Lucca's great era was in the Gothic era just before the Renaissance, and the city contains much marvelous architecture from that era. Lucca remained an independent city state until the start of the 19th century.

The area of most interest to visitors is still enclosed within the old city defensive wall. The top of these broad walls is a ring park, a pleasant place for walking.

Get in

Rail and road links provide easy access from nearby Pisa and Florence.

By plane

Pisa International Airport has a rail station attached, and is only a 20 minute train ride from Lucca.

By train

The railroad station is just a few blocks from the old town walls. Luggage lockers are available. It should be noted that a transfer in Pisa is required, as there are no direct trains from Pisa airport to Lucca.

By car

By bus

Get around

Driving inside the walls is a headache because of the enormous pedestrian traffic, so park your car and rent a bike. Several bicycle rental locations can be found near the North entrance to the city, Porto Santa Maria. It is not a large city within the walls, so you may find it more enjoyable to simply walk around.

See

• Duomo di San Martino
• Roman amphitheater
• Old city walls
• Cattedrale San Martino
• Torre del Ore

Do

Lucca has many old churches, some of which now house art galleries. See art museum. This was the hometown of Puccini, and operas are held regularly. Be sure to come by during the summer months, as the area is regularly dotted with Puccini festivals, hosting a variety of young opera singers from across Europe and North America.

Compared to Florence or Siena, there is relatively little late night activity on the streets of old Lucca. There is one dance club on top of the wall, near the Southern entrance to the city. Be aware that club nights are informally segregated by age group - go out on the wrong night, and you may find yourself amidst a sea of 16-18 year olds, instead of the more usual crowd of 20-25 year olds.

Women travelling from North America should be particularly careful with eye contact in Tuscany. What is perceived as normal eye contact in North American culture is in local culture perceived as very flirtatious, and is an open invitation for would-be Romeos.

Learn

For those wishing to learn Italian in an immersive setting, Koinè Centro offers 2-week sessions for beginners and advanced alike. See: http://www.koinecenter.com/ for more information.

Work

Buy

Eat

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Drink

Sleep

Accommodations are plentiful, and cheaper than in Florence or Siena.

Budget

Hostel Franco is very nice and relatively cheap (15 euro per night) when I stayed there in 2003.

Mid-range

Splurge

Contact

Stay safe

Cope

Get out

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